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Introduction: <p>Although substantial progress has been made in understanding sexual communication between autistic adolescents and parents or teachers separately, relatively little research has examined these influences together across the two main developmental contexts in which adolescents grow: family and school. The present study therefore examined whether teacher related characteristics, including communication about sexuality, knowledge about sex, and awareness of privacy, contribute unique variance beyond parental factors in adolescents’ healthy sexual behavior, problematic pornography use, and pornography consumption frequency among autistic and neurotypical adolescents.</p> Methods: <p>A sample of 501 participants across 167 parent-teacher-adolescent triads was analyzed.</p> Results: <p>Hierarchical robust regression analyses indicated that teachers’ factors explained significant incremental variance in autistic adolescents’ healthy sexual behavior and problematic pornography use beyond parental influences, with teacher-inclusive models showing better fit and markedly improved predictive accuracy, particularly for problematic pornography use. Teachers’ knowledge about sex consistently predicted behavior, whereas teachers’ awareness of privacy showed a protective effect, and these associations were largely similar for autistic and neurotypical adolescents, supporting the view that teachers function as important socialization agents.</p> Conclusions: <p>Overall, teachers’ factors emerged as a meaningful resource for supporting sexual communication and development within a multisystem framework.</p> Policy Implications: <p>Educational policy should prioritize comprehensive sexual training for teachers. It should also promote coordinated school–family approaches to support healthy adolescent sexual development.</p>

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Teachers’ Factors Contribute Meaningful Variance in Association with Autistic Adolescent Sexual Behavior Beyond Parental Factors

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月4日

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  • Sigal Vintor,
  • Zehavit Gross,
  • Yaniv Efrati

摘要

Introduction:

Although substantial progress has been made in understanding sexual communication between autistic adolescents and parents or teachers separately, relatively little research has examined these influences together across the two main developmental contexts in which adolescents grow: family and school. The present study therefore examined whether teacher related characteristics, including communication about sexuality, knowledge about sex, and awareness of privacy, contribute unique variance beyond parental factors in adolescents’ healthy sexual behavior, problematic pornography use, and pornography consumption frequency among autistic and neurotypical adolescents.

Methods:

A sample of 501 participants across 167 parent-teacher-adolescent triads was analyzed.

Results:

Hierarchical robust regression analyses indicated that teachers’ factors explained significant incremental variance in autistic adolescents’ healthy sexual behavior and problematic pornography use beyond parental influences, with teacher-inclusive models showing better fit and markedly improved predictive accuracy, particularly for problematic pornography use. Teachers’ knowledge about sex consistently predicted behavior, whereas teachers’ awareness of privacy showed a protective effect, and these associations were largely similar for autistic and neurotypical adolescents, supporting the view that teachers function as important socialization agents.

Conclusions:

Overall, teachers’ factors emerged as a meaningful resource for supporting sexual communication and development within a multisystem framework.

Policy Implications:

Educational policy should prioritize comprehensive sexual training for teachers. It should also promote coordinated school–family approaches to support healthy adolescent sexual development.